It was a time of civil war in the galaxy. The evil "Dark Lord" Darth Vader and his troops of soldiers were trying to crush a small group of men fighting against them. These men, the Rebels, knew that the Imperial government which ruled the galaxy had grown too strong. They feared that its leader, Darth Vader, and his evil friends would try to make the people of the galaxy their slaves.

As the story begins, a small Rebel spacecraft has been attacked by Darth Vader's huge warship. Somehow the Dark Lord has learned that the beautiful Rebel leader, Princess Leia Organa, has hidden the plans to his deadly Imperial battle station aboard her ship. Should she escape with the plans, the Rebels would surely find a way to destroy the battle station. Thus they could end the harsh rule of the empire.